Time is Dead
by Ruaki
Summary: Horo and Chocolove deal with Ren's death in the manga.


**Title**: Time is Dead  
**Author name**: Ruaki [http://valhalla.morethanart.org]  
**Author email**: ruakichan@aol.com  
**Category**: Monologue/Angst  
**Keywords**: Horohoro, Ren, SUPER SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS 151+!!!

**Spoilers**: Anything after Chapter 151 (WJ2001:42). It deals with a certain tongari-kun and a certain mariachi and a certain event that came from that. **IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THAT FAR AND DUN WANNA BE SPOILED, GO BACK NOW!!!** Last warning!!!

**Disclaimer**: Do Horo and Ren boink like bunnies every other panel in the manga? No? Then I guess I don't own them.

**Author's Note**: After re-reading those chapters, I wanted to see what Horo's reaction would be to the situation (so I took a few liberties? ^^;). So here it is. It's relatively short, and Horo is really hard for me to write in first-person (compared to Ren-ren at least), so I hope I do him justice. Translations might not be accurate of the dialogue from the manga... uh.. deal with it? ^^; (worked from my translations and the translations by Poipoi [http://www.geocities.com/poipoi_chan/Top.html]!) Artistic liberty rules when yer a fangirl. =D 

PS: It's short. I hate short fics. Why do I always write them? ::SIGH:: 

PPS: Thanks, Cuchi-chan, for being my last-minute beta! =D 

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**"Tsuki no hikari no shita owaru."**  
~'_Time is Dead_', Luna Sea 

The blade dripped water, easily sliding through fragile golden skin and severing the spinal column protected within. Metal ripped out the back through the sinuous yin-yang tattoo, spurts of crimson blood spraying to the earth as the slender body was lifted upward by the enormous dagger. The melancholy tune of the mariachi's mandola carried a victorious note as the Grande Fantasima carelessly flung its victim off the blade-- a red streak hurtling toward an overcropping. 

'_Adios eternamente_' sang the final stanza of the mariachi. '_Farewell forever._' 

I barely acknowledged Ren's name slipping past my throat, half-turning to dully watch him crash limply into the ground, resting silently on rocks stained dark. What I saw didn't occur and what occurred I didn't see. Or so I was telling myself in a sudden round of fierce denial. 

Hao's goons were speaking but I couldn't hear. My head was pounding, a heartbeat thundering in my ears as I gazed dumbly at Ren... he suddenly seemed so much smaller than usual, face-down in the rocks, unmoving. It was such a submissive, un-Ren-like position, bowed before his enemies as if admitting defeat. 

Ren would never, ever do that. A shaky smile crossed my face--yah, he'd never do that. He was just trying to deuce those morons. He was just faking them out, making them let their guard down. Then he'd whip their asses. Yah, that's it. 

My mouth worked.. "H.. " The syllable squeaked out, shoving past the lump in my throat. "Hey.. what are you doing, Ren...?" 

Chocolove seemed to have the same idea as me.. no way that Ren could be defeated! "Stop joking around.. it's like that time with Mickey right?" His own eyes were riveted on the same point of focus. 

Ren did not reply. Desperation clawed at my chest, strangling me. My fingers clenched and unclenched unconsciously. 

"Ha ha.... wow.. that's so realistic, but you're over doing it.." Chocolove's voice was quivering. 

"Mou... we get it... so get up, Ren..." As was my own. Sweat trickled down my chin. Time was frozen---years could have slipped by, and I don't think we would've noticed. 

Blood slid from the gaping wound in Ren's back, pittering quietly onto the ground. The sound silenced the pounding in my ears, overwhelming everything till there was nothing else I could hear. My mouth opened again to say something, a shocked choke sliding out as I slowly came to realize what I was staring at. 

..... no..! NO NO NO NO!! 

Nichrom spoke, and I turned to catch the last of his words.. "--it's really him that...." 

.. that died...? NO! Ren doesn't die! He struts around like some kind of overproud peacock, like some kind of immortal god that's better than us puny humans! Ren wouldn't--couldn't!--be defeated by such.. such a sneaky attack!! Ren isn't dead!! NO _NO_!! Some childish part of me kept screaming and protesting that loudly, as if a temper tantrum could change the reality of Ren's fallen body lying coldly among the rocks. 

I only continued to stare at the Oracle, helpless anger filling me as the bastard continued, smirking darkly. "I'm saying he'll die." 

'_Die_'... I could still hear Ren's blood soaking into the earth. 

"His soul is clinging to his body, but his body will die no matter how stubborn he is." Nichrom's eyes narrowed, his smile widening into one of satisfaction. My stomach churned, a red and yellow haze seeping over my vision. What Nichrom was saying couldn't be true... 

'_doku doku_' It was a sick sound. I didn't have to look to imagine the droplets of Ren's life oozing from the hole in his body to fall like rain onto the ground. '_doku doku_' I wanted to rip out my eardrums, shove the ikupasui* through one lobe and out the other. '_doku doku_' 

"However, his soul will become a ghost no matter his will." Nichrom's eyes focused on us now, flicking idly away from Ren as if he was nothing more than a lump of meat. 

.... no... 

"Saa~te, Peyote," his tone gaining a lilting, dark quality. "Before that happens, get rid of these two as well." 

Something inside me snapped. It could have been the threat.. it could have been Nichrom's careless dismissal of the powerful Ren... But whatever it was, I barely acknowledged slamming my fist into Hao's turban-headed goon. Beside me, Chocolove had mimicked my actions simultaneously, knocking aside the panda-fucker, his expression of rage mirroring what I knew twisted my own features. 

"Bastard," I growled, "How dare you say that..." That's right.. how dare he even THINK it? "Ren's not dead yet, and we know someone who's a doctor..." 

Chocolove landed on the ground beside me, his claw already on his hand, Mick bursting into existence behind him. "So we'll kick your ass and take Ren to him!" 

I think if I wasn't so full of murderous rage, I would have kissed him in joy. Ren should be very proud of us... he has a tendency to treat us lower than dirt; yet here we are, ready to protect him without hestitation. Perfect little lackeys. 'I'm the only one needed.' Fah! Then why the hell are we so loyal to you? 

"Let's do it, Kororo!" Ice swirled and crystalized with a snap, my anger solidfying into existence as my oversoul. 

Ren... That bastard, leaving us to do the dirty work. Tongari-kun could have easily beaten the snot out of them--he was doing it, before that damn Oracle had to start blabbering off about his stupid brother. And then the mariachi pulled that sneak attack--no one saw it coming... 

Ren wasn't dead. I knew that. I knew that deep deep down. Ren, like Yoh, was an immortal fixture; strong, collected, and when he gets beaten, he stands right back up. 'I, without waivering,' he said. Not even death can stop him. I knew that. That's why I know you're not dead, Ren! Watching you so easily learn Mickey's waza and turn them against these assholes... '_I, without waivering._' 

... sure, I always made fun of him. It was hilarious to tease him--that weird haircut of his would quiver, maybe grow a few inches.. hell, I've seen it generate electricity once!! And I've always admired him. Secretly, of course. Hell NO, I wouldn't tell him that I envied his strength and ability to keep a cool head. Yoh was strong too, but Yoh didn't really act like it. Ren acted like it. Ren's strong. He knew it. He always rubbed our faces in it. And the way he was so adamant about it, you had to believe. Ren was strong. 

Shit, Ren, we're believing in you right now.. don't you dare fail us... 

Tossed around like rag dolls... all for you.. don't you dare fail us... 

'BEAM!!' 

The brilliant light washed the world into white, but inside my mountain of ice Chocolove and I were safe. It took every ounce of my power just to block that dangerous ray attack, and the ice cracked and dissipated into harsh winter wind immediately once the light faded. 

But that was the least of my concerns... 

"Is Ren okay?" It was a struggle to keep my oversoul, and I reluctantly released it to conserve what power I could. My face throbbed from the punches I took.... Ren, you BETTER appreciate me allowing my good looks to be so abused. 

"He's okay, Horohoro." Chocolove cradled our fallen leader in his lap, a patch of ice streaked over Ren's wound. "It was close.. thanks to your ice, we were able to stop the bleeding." 

"It was thanks to your speed," I replied absently, my eyes fixated on our opponents. Three to one.. and who the hell knew what the Oracle was capable of? And I didn't want to look at Ren.. Ren's fading pallor.. Ren's limbs hanging limply.... Argh. Just don't think about Ren. In fact, just don't think. I can't do that very well anyway. 

This was bad. Very bad. Holy freaking hell bad. The odds were completely against us. Our attacks before.. they were nothing. Our attacks now would be even less--I was completely drained and Chocolove looked worn out too. 

But if Ren was in our place.. he'd still keep going. Odds or not, tired or not, that twit would stubbornly press on. Because he was strong. Because he never waivered. 

And even though this situation sucked royally.. I knew Chocolove and I would continue fighting. Maybe cause we're stupid or stubborn or whatever. Maybe cause we want to be strong too. 

.. ... Hey, Ren, you hear that? 

You're a stupid and stubborn moron like us. Nyah nyah! 

Heh. You better not die, Ren-ren. I'm expecting a good whooping for that. 

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*ikupasui: literal translation of the kana of Horo's 'weapon'.. I have no idea what the 'Ainu' word for that thing would be, although I DO know it's a holy instrument for their religious rites.. but after some research into the Ainu culture, I couldn't find any reference to it.. o.X Anyone know? 

A/N: _I TOLD YOU IT WAS SHORT!! ::cry:: ... hm. ^_^ I love tankubon #17. I love Team the Ren. I love Chocolove, Horohoro, and Ren. ::cuddles Ren:: *_* .... and for those of you who went and spoiled yourself anyway, and wants to know what happens, Horo and Choco get their asses kicked--they find out their Shamanic Powers are like.. really really low. ^^; Yoh comes along and saves them, which really pisses Horo off--he's ashamed that he had to rely on Yoh's help to save himself and Ren. And that Yoh is the one that's going to pretty much be the one to decide on Ren's fate.... _

... >.> And who said Horohoro DOESN'T have a thing for Ren? =P Well, this fic WAS written without the yaoi intention, but if you're so minded like me, you'll put it mentally in there between the lines anyway.. =P 

o.X I tried REALLY hard not to just make this fic a script of the manga, but it was hard putting Horo's thoughts in during what was a pretty intense action scene.. I mean, realistically, when you're fighting, you're not angsting or contemplating to yourself about what you did earlier that day and all, yanno? ::sighs:: That's why this fic is so short. =/ Maybe I should have waited till Yoh took Ren to see the Iron Maiden, or maybe after Horo runs off with Choco... 

Anyhoo.. 


End file.
